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| Cyrtodactylus mendol Riyanto, Fauzi, Kadafi, Munir, Hamidy, Sidik, Firmansyah, Lestari, Fadhillah, Abinawanto & Smith, 2025 Mendol Bent-toed Gecko | Cecak jarilengkung Mendol || DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5683.2.2 |
Abstract
Here, we describe a new species of Cyrtodactylus Gray from East Java (Dampit, Malang), Indonesia that belongs to the C. marmoratus species group. It is a medium-sized (SVL) species with adult males reaching 65.9 mm in males, 64.3 mm in females; characterized by dorsal tubercle absent on brachium, 17–18 dorsal tubercle rows, 38–40 rows of smooth ventrals, precloacal depression present in a deep groove, 15–17 precloacal pores in an inverse Y shape, 7–12 femoral pores, 3–5 poreless femoral scale separated precloacal and femoral pores in males, 2 pairs of post caudal tubercles, second post mentals separated by 5–7 scales, abrupt transition between rows of large and small postfemoral and ventral femoral scales, and no enlarged subcaudals. The new species is genetically divergent from the other Javan congeners of the C. marmoratus complex with genetic divergences (p-distances) ranging from 15.1–24.3% for the mitochondrial ND2 gene. This description brings the number of nominal species of bent-toed gecko in Java to six.
Reptilia, Cyrtodactylus darmandvillei, Cyrtodactylus marmoratus, new species, Java, taxonomy
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| Living specimens of Cyrtodactylus mendol sp. nov., (A) adult male, MZBLace15007, holotype, (B) Precloacal region of the holotype, and (C) adult female, paratype, MZBLace15009. Photographs by: A. Riyanto. |
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| Precloacal depression and enlarged femoral and precloacal scales of members of the Javenese marmoratus complex. (A) Cyrtodactylus mendol sp. nov. holotype MZBLace 15007, (B) C. belanegara holotype MZBLace 15630, (C) C. marmoratus lectotype RMNH.RENA.2710a, (D) C. semiadii voucher specimen MZBLace 15640. Illustrations by A. Riyanto and AAT Amarasinghe (not to scale). |
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| Map of Java illustrating the distribution of the Javanese Cyrtodactylus darmanvillei complex and the C. marmoratus complex. |
Cyrtodactylus mendol sp. nov.
Mendol Bent-toed Gecko
Cecak jarilengkung Mendol
Diagnosis. The new species is a distinct evolutionary lineage closely related to C. belanegara, C. marmoratus, and C. semiadii. It can be differentiated from other congeners by the following combination of characters: known maximum SVL 65.9 mm in males, 64.3 mm in females; two pairs of post caudal tubercles; second post mentals separated by 5–7 scales; 17–18 dorsal tubercle rows; 30–35 paravertebral tubercles; 38–40 ventral smooth scales across midbody; precloacal depression, precloacal and femoral pores present in male; precloacal depression in a deep grooved form; 15–17 precloacal pores arranged in an inverted Y; 7–12 femoral pores; 3–5 poreless femoral scales separated from precloacal and femoral pores; abrupt transition between rows of large and small postfemoral and ventral femoral scales; absence of enlarged subcaudals.
Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition, “mendol.” Mendol (Figure 8) is a traditional food typical of Malang (East Java) and its surrounding areas, known for its delicious taste and unique history. This dish is believed to be inspired by the popular Dutch food, mashed potato fritters. During the colonial era, Malang was one of areas where the Dutch resided. The term "mendol" means ball, which describes the method of forming the food into a ball shape. This dish is made from tempeh that has undergone further fermentation. The tempeh (fermented soybean cake) is crushed and mixed with spices such as garlic, coriander, galangal, lime leaves, and chili. The tempeh dough is then shaped into an oval form and fried until golden brown. Mendol has a savory taste with a hint of spiciness and a texture that is crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. It is typically served as a side dish for meals such as rawon, lodeh, and pecel.
Awal RIYANTO, Muhammad A. FAUZI, Ahmad M. KADAFI, Misbahul MUNIR, Amir HAMIDY, Irvan SIDIK, Richo FIRMANSYAH, Retno LESTARI, FADHILLAH, ABINAWANTO and N. Smith, 2025. One More New Bent-toed Gecko of the Javanese Cyrtodactylus marmoratus complex (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from East Java, Indonesia. Zootaxa. 5683(2); 189-211. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5683.2.2 [2025-08-20]
